OSHKOSH — Oshkosh Corp. has hired a past adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as its lead government liaison.

Tom Hawkins, who most recently served as national security adviser with McConnell's office, will take over as senior vice president of government relations, the Oshkosh-based defense contractor announced Monday.

Hawkins previously worked as a senior professional staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, as well as on the Subcommittee on Defense, according to Oshkosh Corp.